Are all democrats, Birkenstock wearing tree huggers that drive hybrids and carry around Apple products?
Are all republicans, Mercedes driving three-piece suit wearing bankers that would sell their grandma for a nickel?
So why are we libertarians those far out loons that tote guns everywhere, smoke pot, believe in no government and pay for everything in gold?
I don’t like politics. I never cared for it too much, but after the 1992 elections I dropped out for a long time. The self-serving deceit, the pettiness, and the focus on special interests to the exclusion of all other things made me want to never touch politics again. That is until I took the unthinkable step of dropping out of the two-party system and tried an alternative. The Libertarian party.
Yes, those losers that never win anything. The ones with the home-made campaign signs, the rumpled suits that never seem to fit, the cheesy public access TV show that nobody watches, and the never compromise attitude.
But what exactly do they stand for? Well lots of things. Just like both of the big parties have wings (the democrats for example range from the southern democrat that might as well be a republican to the hard left democrat that might as well be a communist) so too do the libertarians encompass a whole range of issues and ideas. The core idea however is to extend and promote the liberty of the individual as much as possible.
Keep in mind I said as much as possible. Libertarians are not anarchists and don’t propose to do away with government but they do see that like any other institution that government will grow at any opportunity and it is not always to the benefit of the individual.
Some things have to be done by government. We have no choice in the matter because these things are too large to do by individuals and corporations would not do these things without a profit motive.
But when these things are done they have to be done in such a way that the rights of the individual are held sacrosanct as much as possible. Government loves to seize property and tell people what they can do on their property and I don’t hold to such things.
What about pollution or food and safety standards you say? I say these are resolved the way they ought to be. In the courts. Some company pollutes a river or air then they are damaging a property held in the common trust. Sue them for damages and clean up. Not just a slap on the wrist amount but something damaging, something commensurate with the crime.
Someone putting out toxic food. Again lawsuit. Not just at the corporate entity but the officers in charge and not just punitive but criminal charges if necessary. Something big. Something that tells others in that industry that there would be dire consequences for turning out products that harm the public.
Another thing libertarians don’t hold with is crony capitalism. Altering the rules to favor the few. This again limits the rights of the individual to favor another party.
Why do libertarians go on and on about gold? Because our money is backed by nothing and represents nothing. We can print and print money to fund projects and devalue the currency. That in turn makes things cost more and means people living at the bottom face rising prices. Is gold the answer? I doubt it but continuing with fiat money the way we have certainly isn’t.
Drugs? Don’t use’em. But if you’re an adult and you’re not hurting anyone and you’re not becoming a burden to anyone else then do what you want. But if you get fired from your job for showing up stoned or if your spouse leaves you because of your drug use then be prepared to face the consequences.
Libertarianism is as much about responsibilities as it is about rights.
Will libertarians see any of this implemented? I don’t know. Maybe when people start getting sick and tired of the status quo and maybe if they can get away from the fears of leaving the old comfortable system behind then maybe they will give it a try.
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